With performances described by The New York Times as “breathtakingly beautiful”, violinist Sean Lee is quickly gaining recognition as one of today’s most talented rising artists, one of three artists chosen to launch the Digital Debut series by EMI Classics. Lee’s debut album, “The Juilliard Sessions: Sean Lee”, was released by EMI Classics in February 2012 and reached the iTunes top 20 classical bestsellers list.
Lee was selected as the winner of the 2012 Sanders/Juilliard/Tel Aviv Museum Prize, which took him to Israel for performances of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv with Frédéric Chaslin and the Jerusalem Symphony. Other awards include prizes at the “Premio Paganini” International Violin Competition and the Young Concert Artists, Inc. International Auditions. Lee has also appeared as a soloist in recent years with the Utah Symphony, Orchestra Del Teatro Carlo Felice, Westchester Symphony, Bedford Chamber Players, Peninsula Symphony, Torrance Symphony, and Redlands Symphony. As a recitalist, Lee has performed at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall in New York City, South Orange Performing Arts Center in New Jersey, Sundays Live series at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Festival di Carro Paganiniano of Italy, Vienna’s Konzerthaus, and Lincoln Center’s David Rubenstein Atrium. Lee has also performed live radio broadcasts for KCSN (Los Angeles), WGBH (Boston), and WQXR (New York).
An equally involved chamber musician, Lee is a Chamber Music Society Two Artist, and is a resident performer with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center from 2012-2015. In the Spring of 2012, Lee toured for a series of chamber music performances with violinist Itzhak Perlman, performing in Miami, Virginia Beach, Toronto, and Valle de Bravo, Mexico. In recent years, Lee has performed at Ravinia Festival, Music@Menlo, Maui Classical Music Festival, Sarasota Music Festival, and Montecito Summer Music Festival. Lee also performed for four seasons as a founding member of the LK String Quartet, drawing praise from The New York Times as “…fiery and propulsive, with striking unanimity…”, and from The Washington Post for “warm tone, elegant finish, a vivid engagement with the scores’ drama and ensemble that was tight as a drum.” Lee has appeared in a variety of chamber music configurations at venues including the Kennedy Center, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Arsht Center, Le Poisson Rouge, and Alice Tully Hall.
After studying with renowned violin pedagogue Robert Lipsett and legendary violinist Ruggiero Ricci, Lee studied at the Juilliard School under the tutelage of the internationally acclaimed Itzhak Perlman for a Bachelor of Music Degree and Master of Music Degree, and graduated as a recipient of the William Schuman Prize. During his studies, Lee led the Juilliard Orchestra for four seasons as concertmaster for performances under the batons of David Atherton, James DePriest, Xian Zhang, Alan Gilbert, and David Robertson at venues including Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Shanghai Grand Theatre, and Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts.
In addition to his performing life, Lee is a dedicated educator. Lee currently serves as teaching assistant to Itzhak Perlman at the Juilliard School, and also teaches chamber music and has been a substitute conductor at the Pre-College Division of the Juilliard School. In 2010, Lee also joined the faculty of Music@Menlo Chamber Music Institute, and is a member of the violin faculty of the Perlman Music Program, where he was a student for six years.
Lee performs on a 1799 Nicolas Lupot violin.
